Joseph’ musical takes flight in Newton

Thursday

Dec 27, 2012 at 6:00 AM

By Jules Becker CORRESPONDENT

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is all about aspirations taking flight, and so is Kyle W. Carlson.

The 23-year-old Baldwinville actor-director may be playing Pharaoh in the Turtle Lane Playhouse production (through Dec. 30) rather than the title hero, but his training and credentials demonstrate an ongoing commitment to dreams.

“At the end of middle school I knew that this (acting, directing and teaching theater) was what I really wanted to do,” he said in a recent interview.

Now at Narragansett Regional High School, Carlson is giving budding young actors the opportunity to begin to do the same.

Thanks to Carlson’s church-singing mother, Sharon Payne, his own mentoring began at the age of 4 — as the child who speaks bluntly in a staging of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

“She gave me so many options,” he said of his mother. “She let me try everything. I said I wanted to go into acting. She made herself involved in everything I did.”

Eventually California-raised Kyle trained as an acting major at the Oakland School for the Arts. While there, he performed in straight plays like “The Man Who Came to Dinner” and musicals like “The Wiz,” his favorite early production. “I learned that there’s a lot more to acting than learning your lines,” he admitted. “I was given the chance to learn a lot of things.”

Since moving back to Massachusetts in 2009, Kyle has been busy with Turtle Lane in such featured roles as Brad in “The Rocky Horror Show,” Barfee in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and Trevor Graydon in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Carlson has been enjoying the Turtle Lane production of “Joseph.”

“I thought the Pharaoh was a really fun role.”

Crediting director-choreographer Rachel Bertone’s approach to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, he observed, “She was great to work for. She sent us (the actors playing Joseph’s brothers) Jacob’s dying words to each brother (in Genesis) knowing that helps you to develop your character.”

Carlson also brings that enthusiasm to teaching Narragansett Regional students about theater. “I like it there. We cast everyone who comes out. We don’t cut anybody. How are they going to learn?”

Kyle gives his student actors — now 50 in number, up from last year’s 35 — the kind of opportunity he was given in his own early going.

“I’ve given all of the kids at least one line and a character,” he said. Last year Narragansett staged “Once Upon a Mattress.” This year the musical is the Gershwin modern classic “Anything Goes” (Jan. 25-27). Kyle also teaches at the Turtle Lane summer program.

“My big plan,” he said, “is to go back to school and be an educator full time and teach theater.”